Slider for slide fasteners



Oct. 19, 1937. w. L. GILMORE SLIDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Dc. 12, 1955 INVENTOR. Killian? L. Gilmore.

A ORNEYS.

Patented a. 19, 1937 PATENTOFFICE SLIDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS William L. Gilmore, Meadville, Pa., assignor to Hookless Fastener Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 12, 1935, Serial N0. 54,095

6 Claims.

This invention relates to slide fasteners and particularly to an improved arrangement for locking the sliders of such fasteners so as to prevent unintentional opening of the article to which the slide fastener is applied.

Numerous forms of locking sliders for slide fasteners have been proposed and widely used, including those in which the locking is automatic and in which a manual operation is required to effect unlocking. While these locking arrangements have proved satisfactory for some uses, they are not completely satisfactory for certain other uses. For example, in shoes and overshoes it has been proposed to conceal the slide fastener i by flaps or strips formed by extending the upper over the interlocking elements. Where a slide fastener is applied to such an article, the. locking devices heretcfcre proposed have not been completely satisfactory, partly because there is not room for the locking device under or between the concealing flaps, and partly because the locking device becomes accidentally released allowing the fastener to work open.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide an improved locking device which is positire and automatic in its action when the article on which it is used is worn or filled, one which is neat and compact, and one which does not interfere with the concealment of the fastener by covering strips or the like.

It is another object of the invention to provide a locking slider having improved appearance with a pull or operating device disposed on one side and a locking device disposed wholly on the other 5 side of the slider.

A more specific object is to provide an improved fastener especially adapted for rubber footwear in which the pressure of the leg against the under side of the fastener will maintain the locking device in operative position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereafter more fully appear.-

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for purposes of illustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 shows a lady's overshoe with which my invention is incorporated;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through a part i of the overshoe, showing the slider in locked position;-

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig-2,. showing the slider in the unlocked position; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the back side of the i slider. M

There is shown in Fig. 1 a conventional type ofovershoe l. Secured to the under side of the shoe upper along the edges of the opening there are fastener stringers, which comprise tapes 8 having rows of closely spaced fastener'elements 9 attached to their adjacent edges. The edges of the shoe upper are extended over the fastener to provide substantially abutting flaps III, II for completely concealing and protecting the fastener. The shoe construction also embodies a bellows tongue l2 for protecting the hose and skin of the wearer from the action of the fastener elements. The construction and operation of this particular type of interlocking fastener is well known in the art and will not be described in detail. I

The slider comprises a pair of front and rear Wings [3 and M respectively, between which are received the rows of fastener elements in' the course of travelof the slider. The locking device is attached to the back wing portion of the slider and is disposed next to the protective flap. The locking device consists of a resilient or spring plate I5, the middle portion of which is bowed outwardly and carries projecting lugs or prongs l6 adapted to pass through corresponding apertures or perforations ll in the rear wing of the slider into the spaces between the fastener elements to retain or lock the slider in position.- This spring plate is affixed to the rear slider wing by means of rivets l8 or by any other suitable means,

The pull or actuating member may be any suitable form which will not interfere with the concealing flaps, for example, a flexible bead chain I9, attached to the upper wing of the slider, as disclosed in the patent to Carlile 1,962,479. This particular type of pull member allows free movement of the slider and is so constructed as to eliminate any substantial lug or bulkiness on the upper wing. v

It is believed that the operation of my improved locking device will now be readily understood. Normally when the shoe is being worn the pressure of the leg against the bellows tongue l2 will maintain the spring element l5 pressed against the back side of. the slider as shown in Fig. 2. The locking prongs I6 will thus be held in locking position where they engage between a pair of fastener elements 9. In practice one of the locking prongs I 6 may be sufficient although I have illustrated two such prongs, one on each side of the locking member l5 and in staggered relation so that when one locking prong registers with the space between a pair of fastener elements on one stringer the other locking prong will register with the space between a pair of fastener elements on the opposite stringer.

Now let us assume that the slider is to be operated to open the fastener. The user will pull outwardly on the chain l9 thus lifting the slider away from the bellows tongue l2 and relieving the pressure against the back of the slider allowing the locking device to spring open as shown in Fig. 3. The slider may then be easily operated. The locking means is particularly effective when it is considered that the same pressure which tends to pull the sides of the fastener apart will also act to press against the locking member and hold it securely in locked position. When there is any pressure on the back side of the fastener there will be no need for any locking device.

Itwill be understood that my improved locking device need not necessarily be limited in its --use to overshoes and is shown incorporated in such merely for the purpose of illustration. My invention may be used in any article where the contents exert a pressure outwardly against the inside of the fastener and slider.

While I have shown and described in this application one embodiment which my invention mayassume in practice, it is understood that this embodiment is merely for the purposes of illustration and description and that various other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination, interlocking fastener elements along the edges of an opening, a slider comprising front and back wings movable along said elements for engaging and disengaging the same," locking means carried by said rear wing adapted to be held in locked position by outside pressure acting against the locking means, and a pull member carried by the upper wing for pulling the slider forwardly to automatically unlock said slider for movement along said fastener elements.

2. A slide fastener for an article having a hollow interior, comprising in combination-a pair of stringers having cooperating fastener elements along their adjacent edges, a slider movable along said stringers for engaging and disengaging said elements, and locking means carried by the slider having a portion facing the interior of said article, said locking means being normally held in locking position by pressure of the contents of said article against said portion, and means for moving said locking means out of lock- 4. A slide fastener comprising a pair of-string- I ers having cooperating fastener elements along their adjacent edges, a slider having front and back wings mounted on said elements to engage and disengage the same, a pull tab attached to the front wing, locking means for locking said slider in any desired position on said fastener elements comprising a spring plate attached to the back wing of said slider, a locking member on said spring plate, the spring plate acting normally to retract said locking member from locking position, said locking member being operable to looking position by pressure applied against said spring plate. I

5. A slide fastener for an article of the class described comprising in combination a pair of stringers having cooperating fastener elements along their adjacent edges, a slider movable along said stringers for engaging and disengaging said elements, and locking means carried by the slider having a portion facing the interior of said article, said locking means including a spring element which constantly urges the locking means to unlocked position, said locking means being adapted to be pressed by the contents of the article against said interiorly facing portion to locked position.

6. A slide fastener for an article of the class described comprising in combination a pair of stringers having cooperating fastener elements along their adjacent edges, a slider movable along said stringers for engaging and disengaging said elements, an outwardly bowed spring member carried by the back of said slider, a locking projection on said spring member adapted to extend into engagement with the fastener elements, said spring member normally acting to hold said locking member in retracted position and being operable to locked position by pressure against said spring member-from within said article.

WILLIAM L. GILMORE. 

